What is history: it is the echo of the past to the future, the reflection of the future on the past. - Hugo
As a famous great shame in ancient Chinese history, tragic events such as "the emperor was captured", "the fall of Beijing", and "Zhao Zhao has a suspected stepfather" in the "Shame of Jingkang" have long been familiar to historical fans, but in contrast, before and after the "Shame of Jingkang", other lesser-known "tragic events" are also worthy of deep consideration. For example, the following pieces.
"Tragic" 1: Emperor, what about your money?
The Jin army launched a major attack on the Song Dynasty from October of the seventh year of Xuanhe (1125). However, due to the fact that officials at all levels were even secretive and confused, the Song court of the Great Song Dynasty did not receive a letter of approval until December 9. Frightened, Emperor Huizong of Song hurriedly sent his chancellor Li Ye to the Jin people to seek peace. Li Yiti said on the condition: If you want peace and manage it, you must first stuff some money into others. At this time, Emperor Huizong of Song was shocked to realize that the Great Song could not even pay this little money. The treasuries of the major provinces have long been empty. In the end, it was Song Huizong who melted the two golden urns he had secretly hidden and cast them into gold medals for Li Ye to bring.
How come the "rich Song" can't even pay the money to "sell well"? Because of the money of the Great Song Dynasty, the main thing was to ask Song Huizong to do a big thing: to repair "Gongyue".
"Gengyue" is a super money-burning project like the capital city during the reign of Emperor Huizong of song. This "big project" is located in the northeast corner of The Capital City and covers an area of more than ten miles. The entire "big project" site, between the strange rockeries, is full of fragrant flowers and exotic grass pavilions, as well as all kinds of rare and strange beasts jumping around. This "luxurious garden" that took six years to build, every piece of flower stone is "requisitioned" from Jiangsu, Zhejiang, Huguang, and even "a stone costs tens of thousands of taels", and every grass and tree is a countless people's fat. But song huizong did not care about this? He also wrote the famous "Records of Gengyue" in his own handwriting, trying to depict its luxurious scenery.
Later, when the Jin army marched south in a big way, the capital city fell under siege, and the luxurious scenery of Gengyue finally aroused the anger of the people. Its priceless strange flowers and stones were all smashed by angry soldiers and civilians. As for the exotic beasts that run around the garden? They were also slaughtered to feed the army. A large "heavenly garden" was razed to the ground before the fall of Fenjing - similar garden disasters are often deplorable, but it is believed that the Gengyue of the Great Song Dynasty is an absolute exception. The so-called luxury is just a cancer of poverty and weakness in the Northern Song Dynasty, and the only regret is that it was destroyed too late.
"Misery" 2: The elite who nibble on peas
On October 24, 1126, in the first year of Jing Kang's reign, the Jin Army's Western Route Army was sticky to the Han Army, and the soldiers returned to Niuling at the throat of Pingyang Province (Linfen, Shanxi). After seeing this natural danger that was easy to defend and difficult to attack, Sticky Han, who had experienced hundreds of battles, was not lightly frightened, and he was afraid that the Song army would rely on the back niuling highland to throw stones and release arrows, so he did not move for a while. However, after "not moving" for a few days, the Song army on the other side did not move. I tried to attack it, but I almost didn't get stunned by the thunder: not only the Song army stationed back at Niuling, but even the Song army in Pingyang City ran away. Such a strategic place was given to others in vain.
Why is it so sparse? Since the beginning of the Song-Jin War, the elite Song army in the Hedong region has "relaxed" the same. In addition to the generals' continued to drink and feast, even the military expenses allocated by the imperial court were cheekily withheld. The soldiers who fought for the country's blood, fought hard to defend their families and defended the country, and the salaries they received were actually mixed with iron money, and the money they should take was deducted by the officers at the first level. Especially on this time, on the Niuling Ridge, the "elite" troops of the Song Army guarding this place were still shirtless during this cold season. The "military food" eaten every day turned out to be some moldy peas.
In such a situation, the enemy is present, and these soldiers only lament in sorrow and indignation: "The army food is like this, and I am at war." The great Song Dynasty, which was full of corruption, made many soldiers feel cold in their hearts and walked away at the threshold of life and death.
"Tragic" 3: Emperor, don't give me this pot
On November 9, 1127, the Jin army launched a strong attack on Beijing, and the Song "divine soldiers" brought by the swindler Guo Jing were wiped out in minutes. The impregnable outer city of Fenjing fell under the iron hooves of the Jin army. However, at this time, the Northern Song Dynasty did not reach the end of the road: the veterans of the Jin Army Division occupying the outer city were tired, and not only did not continue to attack, but instead grasped the construction of fortifications to prevent the military and civilians of Beijing from counterattacking. The soldiers and civilians of Fenjing were also excited and vowed to fight the Jin people to the end.
Under the circumstances at that time, if the emperors and courtiers of The Song Dynasty could calm down, or concentrate their forces to break through, or hold on to each other, the war would inevitably have a chance to turn around.
However, at this time, Song Qinzong's first reaction was to "throw the pot". So another funny scene in the history of the Great Song Dynasty was staged: hearing that the outer city had fallen, the panicked Song Qinzong happened to run into his uncle Yue Wang (Song Huizong's younger brother), and after the uncle and nephew met, Song Qinzong hurriedly undressed, took off the dragon robe and forced it into the hands of the Yue King, and even called out "Uncle do it himself." That is, to "dump" the throne to the King of Yue. Which king of Yue will take this matter? Crying and shouting "capital crime" - Emperor, don't dump me in this pot.
In fact, even in such a dangerous situation, there are still tough men who are indignantly responsible: the defender Jiang Xuan gathered hundreds of brave men and vowed to escort Song Qinzong to the breakout. However, song Qinzong, who was frightened and broke his guts, not only did not agree, but after persuading Jiang Xuan to leave with kind words, he turned his face and tied up Jiang Xuan and others and killed them, on the grounds that he was afraid that these people would "cause trouble." Poor people who are passionate about the country, they are so ignorant and do not bend to death.
Then, Song Qinzong made his own "choice": he ran to the Camp of the Jin Army, put on the incense case and read the descending table, and knelt in the direction of the Jin Kingdom and Shangjing: The Northern Song Dynasty, which had been in the country for more than one hundred and sixty years, died in such a vague way.
Lack of soldiers and food, all have been saved, but in the bones, it is really not saved.
"Tragic Incident" 4: "Loyalty and Courage to Serve the Country" too student
After the fall of Beijing and the humiliation of Jing kang, the ruling class of the Great Song Dynasty, such as the imperial elite and hundreds of officials, all had their own "miserable" laws. But a group of "not too miserable" people have punched these two Song dynasties in the face: too students.
The two Song dynasties were "virtual" in many things, but they were really good at treating too many students. In the Song Dynasty, where civil servants and literati were nurtured, tai students were the future "pillars of the country", and no matter how poor they were, they could not be poor. During the Song Dynasty, there were as many as 2,400 tai students, each of whom enjoyed a subsidy of thousands of yuan per month, and even enjoyed free accommodation and food. It can be described as "deeply favored by the country".
However, with the corruption of the officials at the end of the Northern Song Dynasty, the group of tai students who have always specialized in collecting talents is also a mixture of fish and dragons. Although during the defense of Fenjing, the Tai students also staged various bloody moments, but with the fall of Fenjing, many of them also appeared in their original form in minutes: hundreds of Tai students who used to enjoy the "preferential treatment" of the Great Song Dynasty took the initiative to sell themselves to the aid, not only to give advice and advice to the Jin army's southern invasion, but also to paint the original version of the mountains and rivers of their hometown (mainly the south) according to the requirements of the Jin people, and directly to others as guides.
Such a group of enthusiastic "young talents" later even Jin Bing felt disgusted, so much so that he "felt that he was incompetent and despicable." Among them, more than sixty people were directly dismissed by the Jin Army, and they did not want to sell themselves to rely on them - the "too students" selected from the excellent of the Great Song Dynasty were actually some of these goods, which shows that this Northern Song Dynasty, why not only rot the upper echelons? Worse "future".
This scene also echoes a scene a century and a half later, before the fall of the Southern Song Dynasty: In the last years of the Southern Song Dynasty, in the face of the pressure of the Yuan Dynasty's soldiers, civil officials at all levels also ran and hid, and there were not even a few people left in the Lin'an Court of the Southern Song Dynasty. Xie Daoqing, the last empress dowager of the Southern Song Dynasty, cried and scolded: "My country has been three hundred years, and it is not thin to treat scholars and doctors." I and the heirs suffered many difficulties in the family, er Xiao Minister could not come up with a strategy to save the times, the internal officials left the times, and the outside was entrusted to abandon the city, taking refuge and stealing life, who is still artificial? Why did you see the emperor underground? "It's a bunch of white-eyed wolves."
Why did the rich Song Fall into the miserable pit of poverty and weakness? Of course, there are many reasons, but what is not controversial is this: the white-eyed wolf, from the Northern Song Dynasty to the Southern Song Dynasty, raised too much.